Soul food

Soul food

Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. 

-Rumi

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel amazing after you eat it, for no specific reason. Maybe it is slow-simmered tomato sauce, creamy ice cream, grandma’s homemade bread or fluffy pancakes. For me, it would be chocolate… always chocolate (especially my upgraded chocolate mousse! You can find the recipe)

 Eating comfort foods, now and then can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious. 

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother’s cooking or our home country. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food’s biochemical make-up. 

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month, I challenge you to focus on where in your life you need to lead your attention to. Have you been neglecting any areas of your life that might have led you to emotional eating, or otherwise hurting your diet? If there is an imbalance in your life, I often see that we use food as an alternative, instead of acknowledging the real problem! We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. It’s important to notice that we each have a unique relationship with food—and this relationship can often be far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we’ve even tasted it.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by what to eat or having trouble understanding why you eat what you eat, please follow this link button( My approach) , where you can have a look at “My Approach” to diets. My approach is not to dwell on calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. I avoid creating lists of restrictions of “good” or “bad” food. Instead, I work directly with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, enjoyable and rewarding.

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. 

I believe in finding a balance within every aspect of our lives. When there is balance in our lives, food becomes secondary, rather than controlling our lives. When you have balance in your work, relationships, love and any other part of our everyday life, it becomes easier to live healthily.

Here are 3 questions that might help you find a balance in the search for healthy living:

1. Does stress at your job, or in your relationships, cause you to overeat? If the answer is yes, what needs to happen to change this?

2. Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? If the answer is yes, what needs to happen to change this?

3. Do you know why you find it hard to maintain a healthy diet? If the answer is yes, what is one small step you can do today, to change this?

I encourage you to find a quiet place and sit down for 20 minutes. Allow yourself this time to sit and reflect over where you might need to reconnect, or maybe make some changes, to help you live a happy and healthy life. 

In February, I have been reconnecting to myself and my health, which is why you haven’t received any blogs or newsletters from me last month. I felt that I needed to reconnect with my roots, and re-balance my life. The past year in Hong Kong has been extremely stressful, so I chose to spend some time back home in Denmark. I tried to keep a pretty “normal” routine, getting up early every day with my son, both of us working mostly online, whether it be school or work. Even though this temporary readjustment has been challenging, I have been able to see more of my family, my daughter, eating lots of soul foods, going to the cinema, museums, gym, doing more yoga, and watching fun movies on Netflix. I’ve found my energy again. It’s all about getting balance back into our lives and saying no to things and people who do not serve us. When was the last time you thought about yourself and your health? This is your life, and you have the right to be happy. That is my wish for you.

If you need any help, I am right here to help you; you are always welcome to contact me :

What would your life be like if you treated your food and your body as you would treat your beloved – with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect, and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt. Enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.

Lulu Bechgaard

CIDESCO Beauty Therapist, IIN Health Coach, Holistic Aromatherapist 🍒🍒 Beauty Chef ❤️ Face Yoga Teacher

+852 9154 1570

facebook.com/LuluBechgaardHolisticHealthCoach 

instagram.com/myhealthcoachlulu